I just picked up 3 GTX 470's for my CUDA system but I have the opportunity to pick up a few 295's. Are the 295's still better than a 470 for CUDA work or are there any programming changes coming down in the future that will make the GTX 470 superior?

So, the question is this. If it were your money, would you keep the GTX 470 or spend the cash on a GTX 295? Do you think the single 470 will surpass the processing power of a 295 once the new version of the CUDA app is out?

Also, if you know, what would the new CUDA app do to more fully utilize the power of the 470 making it a better performer that the 295? (If you follow my question.)

is there some part of the hardware in the 470 that is not currently utilized in the current CUDA software that will be more fully utilized with the future version of the CUDA app?

I have a chance to get 2 295's for about $200 each, but I need to make the decision in the next 36-48 hours. :(

is there some part of the hardware in the 470 that is not currently utilized in the current CUDA software that will be more fully utilized with the future version of the CUDA app?

Yes

I have a chance to get 2 295's for about $200 each, but I need to make the decision in the next 36-48 hours. :(

Awesome cards, if you took them you won't be disappointed. They are at the end of their lifecycle though (won't be getting a lot faster), whereas the Fermis are at the beginning of theirs( Will be getting a lot faster). The best choice for you would depend on how much patience you have.

Jason

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"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
Charles Darwin

A 295 is a dual GPU card, and a 470 is a single. You'd need 4 470's to even get close to 2 295's. But as has been said, there won't be any more 295's coming, unless you can pick them up second hand, and they are already updating the 470's and 480's with the 580, which runs cooler and overlocks better, and commands the price premium of being the new kid on the block.

Plus as has also been said, there may not be much more that can be done to optimise the code for the 295's, whereas there is a lot to be learned about the Fermi code and optimising that.

The killer question is:- Immediate results from some 295's, or possibly better results from a newer spec card but over a longer period of time.

A 295 is a dual GPU card, and a 470 is a single. You'd need 4 470's to even get close to 2 295's. But as has been said, there won't be any more 295's coming, unless you can pick them up second hand, and they are already updating the 470's and 480's with the 580, which runs cooler and overlocks better, and commands the price premium of being the new kid on the block.

Plus as has also been said, there may not be much more that can be done to optimise the code for the 295's, whereas there is a lot to be learned about the Fermi code and optimising that.

The killer question is:- Immediate results from some 295's, or possibly better results from a newer spec card but over a longer period of time.

Giz.

Not much of a question then, is it?

A dual Fermi should be available soon, and then the point will be moot.
And of course, the Lunatic fringe will make sure that is the case.

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I am still the kittyman.
Accept no imitations.

The real Question is - How long do we have to wait for a Fermi optimized version!

If Nvidia can follow his own Roadmap - next Year we will have the first Kepler GPUs...

Helli

You saw the first fermi optimisations introduced with x32f ... unfortunately the particular optimisations related mainly to VLAR, for about a 20% improvement, which the project now doesn't send out to GPUs, so the benefit there is obliterated.

Now you just have to wait until we work out how to program the stinking things ;)

Jason
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"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
Charles Darwin

The 480's are very powerful indeed. I have two of them water cooled, and overclocked, and each will deliver a RAC of well over 15,000, actually around 18,000. With only 2 GPU's and a fast processor, that easily puts my rig in the top 20 computers. That is much harder to do with just 1 295, which as mentioned is actually two cards in one. The rigs in the top 20 have several GPU's. When Jason has finished optimizing them, the Fermi's will be formidable indeed. I have all the patience in the world.

Absolutely thrilled with Fermi here...Over in Collatz the 460 is exactly 3x as fast as my 260 and 10 degrees cooler. :)
<10 minutes for 460 vs. 30+ minutes on the old 260
Haven't had a chance to compare on Seti yet..Sounds like when Jason gets done they will rock'n roll!

Jason, Will there be multiple apps for different versions of GF1xx or a single app for all Fermi? I ask cause of the architecture differences between 460/580 and 465/470/480. Thanks in advance!
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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather, 'hmm... that's funny...'" -- Isaac Asimov

I had asked myself this exact same question.. do I get a second 295 or do I go with a 470...

At the moment you can easily get a 295 for 225-300 and for the same price you can get 470. I decided to get two 470's instead, because FERMI is where is at! Fermi is a new technology, and I've seen good results on a non-optimized app, so would you imagine what the performance will be on a optimized app?

I currently have 2 PNY 470's that I will be water colling soon. They run a bit hot, but that's typical for a Fermi card. I like the performance so far.

I love my 295, but I know its a dying gen video card, once the optimized Fermi app comes out, we will see more and more FERMI cards on top.

Just want to give Jason, and BIG BIG thank you for continuing his work on optimizing the Lunatics apps for all the Fermi owners! Thanks Jason!
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Any program is only as good as it is useful.
-Linus Torvalds